A retired American who lived in Penang, Malaysia, and now has returned to the US shares his thoughts, views and opinions on a variety of subjects ranging from the ridiculous to the controversial. The contents are only limited by his imagination.

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Friday, August 10, 2012

Is This Gym Etiquette?

I, like most people I know, go to the gym to exercise. The gym I go to has a section for free weights, a cardio area with numerous treadmills, stationary bikes, rowing machines and cross trainers. A room for classes such as yoga, pilates, etc. is available. There is an area for stretching, using kettle balls and using the TRX. Finally there is an area to rest, read newspapers and magazines, have something to drink or just chat with friends.

Since there are quite a few cardio machines there is never a wait to use one of them. Sometimes the free weight area gets a little crowded, but people are always polite and allow others to work through. Because there are not a lot of machines to do chest presses, pull downs etc, there sometimes is a short wait to use the machines. Because I don't like to waste my time waiting I usually go to the gym in the late morning hours, when there are fewer people there. In the past couple of weeks, however, this plan of action has not worked.

For the third time in two weeks I have had to wait for some inconsiderate idiot sitting on one of the machines. Today, for instance, I was able to finish my routine on three machines, while this moron was still on the machine I was waiting for. What was he doing? Exercising very slowly? No. He was texting and giggling and having a great time. Since the machine he was on was the last one I had to use I walked around waiting to see if he would do anything that resembled exercising. After about 5 minutes I had had about enough. I went over to him and asked if he planned on using the machine to work out or if he was using it to sit on while he texted. He acted extremely indignant and responded that he was resting between sets. I then responded that he had been sitting there for a long time and hadn't worked out anything but his thumbs. He got up, gave me a dirty look and sashayed off still texting. I then finished my workout while he sat at another machine and continued texting.

I never bring my iPhone to the gym, primarily because I don't want to be bothered by anyone while I am working out. I go to the gym to exercise. If someone wants to get in touch with me they can wait a couple of hours. I realize that some young people can't go to the bathroom without bringing their cell phone with them, but I would ask them to be a little more considerate to those who go to the gym to work out instead of chatting with friends.